A reader named Andrew wrote to me and asked this question: What do you think the key books are in the Christian tradition on spiritual transformation? How about a top ten? Another reason for asking is that church leaders might find the story interesting as the main goal, or one of the main goals of churches is the spiritual transformation of its members. A cool follow up story would be how to use these texts in a church setting. Thanks... Read more
A reader named Thomas wrote to me: Dear Sir; Blessings. Where can a person go to be a hermit. I am called to a life of solitude. But I don’t know where to go. Do you have any ideas? Dear Thomas, Thanks for writing. Feeling called to a life of solitude is a serious matter. Let me share with you some thoughts, based on my understanding of what the tradition teaches. I hope you will find this information useful. There... Read more
Origen of Alexandria came up with the idea first. Unless you’re a Christian history geek, chances are you’ve never heard of Origen. He lived in Egypt from about 185 to 253—meaning he was a third-century Christian, who died sixty years before Constantine decriminalized the faith. In other words, he lived long before the desert fathers and mothers, before the rise of Christian monasticism, before what we now know as “Christian mysticism” or “contemplative spirituality” really took shape. But Origen was... Read more
So you’ve been to a centering prayer workshop or two, and now you participate in a weekly centering prayer group. You are committed to praying silently twice a day — at least most days. You go on retreat at a monastery or retreat center once or twice a year, and you meet with a spiritual director regularly. Contemplation has become a meaningful, sustainable part of your life. Now what? (Okay, I know many people are not there yet. And if... Read more
“There are times when good words are to be left unsaid out of esteem for silence.” — Saint Benedict A common misunderstanding of Trappist monks and nuns is the erroneous belief that they make a “vow of silence.” In fact, no such vow has ever been part of Christian monastic life, Cistercian or otherwise. Theologically speaking, a vow is a sacred promise made to God, and therefore is regarded as both serious and binding. Like marriage vows, monastic vows are specific,... Read more
Back in 2003, I spent a day at a relatively new monastery near Sligo, Ireland. Like many small religious foundations just getting off the ground, it was struggling, although the members of the community were filled with optimism and a sense of purpose about their shared mission. I plied one of the sisters with questions about the community, their rule of life, and their daily life. My curiosity extended to their diet. “Are you vegetarian?” I wondered, largely because of... Read more
How does language help us — or hinder us — as we try to express our understanding of God — probably the most inexpressible subject imaginable? We adults can really get lost in our God-talk (the word “theology”? All it means is “God-talk”). I love to talk to children about God — and about angels and spirits. I love it when they’re young enough that they don’t get tongue-tied with self-consciousness like the rest of us do. But I also... Read more
I grew up in the suburbs, and gardening was not something my family devoted much time to. So when I got into elementary school and we had a class project of planting something — I think it was a bean or some other vegetable — I became fascinated with the mystery of life. Each of the kids in my class a dixie cup filled with soil, into which we place our seed. We watered out little cup-gardens as the teacher... Read more
“This article is boring.” I don’t know of any writer who wants to get this type of feedback from a reader. It certainly isn’t the kind of comment that makes my day. But when someone made such a declaration on an article I wrote, it caught my attention — precisely because it’s a question I ponder myself. Not so much about my skill as a writer (hey, some people will love my work, and others won’t), but rather about the... Read more
Every now and then I get an email or an in-person comment from someone who will tell me that they love my blog but they had no idea that I have also written some books. I suppose that is an indictment on my lack of talent when it comes to marketing. Oh, well, today’s blog post is an attempt to remedy that situation. So here is a list of all my books that explore Christian contemplative themes (books I wrote... Read more
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